The Brutalist is a Stark, Modern Epic

 

On Saturday night, I went to the Somerville Theatre to see The Brutalist starring Adrien Brody. Earlier this week, The Brutalist was nominated for 10 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor (Brody) and Best Director (Brady Corbet).

It was my first time in over a year at the Somerville Theatre. I could have seen a later showing of the film at the Kendall Square Cinema. But a film as grandiose as The Brutalist not only must be viewed in a movie theatre, but in an old movie theatre. The Somerville Theatre which will turn 111 this year fit the bill. 

Indeed, like the movies of yesteryear, The Brutalist featured an overture at the beginning of the film and an intermission in the middle. However, unlike any movie I've seen, the opening credits were presented horizontally while the closing credits were presented diagonally.

In between the opening and closing credits was a 3½ hour story about the life of a Jewish architect named Laszlo Toth (Brody) and his life in post-WWII America. The first part of the film covers the period between 1947-1952 as he struggles to find his foundation in America while trying to bring over his wife and niece who remain in Europe. The second part of the film covers the period between 1953-1960 where Laszlo is reunited with his wife (played by Felicity Jones) and niece (played by Raffey Cassidy). During this period, Laszlo has been commissioned to build a vast center of creation and activity for a wealthy benefactor (portrayed by Guy Pearce in what was the most dynamic performance of the film). Pearce has received a Best Supporting Actor nomination while Jones has also been nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The epilogue of the film is set in 1980 where a now wheelchair bound Toth is a guest of honor at an exhibit of his work in Venice. 

I know am being light on details. I'll just tell you The Brutalist is one of those movies that is best revisited once every few years. There is a lot to take in and the intermission was of help. In some ways, The Brutalist is reminiscent of films like Lawrence of Arabia and Sergio Leone's Once Upon Time in America while in others it reminded me of John Cassavetes'  A Woman Under the Influence in that it is one of those movies meant for infrequent consumption. 

One thing that will stay with me was the first line on the closing credits - In Memory of Scott Walker.

Scott Walker is among my favorite musicians from his tenure with The Walker Brothers and his solo albums during the 1960's and 1970's. Over time, however, Walker's music became more avant-garde featuring blocks of sound without a formal song structure. While I was aware that Walker had done some film work, I was not aware that Walker's final works before his death in 2019 were on Corbet's films The Childhood of a Leader and Vox Lux. During the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, Corbet spoke of Walker's influence on his work, his collaborations with Walker and how composer Daniel Blumberg's music for The Brutalist was a continuation and an evolution of Walker's work.

As for Brody, this performance puts him back on the A-list. Brody has enjoyed a fine career since becoming the youngest actor to win Best Actor for his performance as a Holocaust survivor in The Pianist with his collaborations with Wes Anderson in films like The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch and Asteroid City, this is his most critically acclaimed role in more than decades. There's something about Adrien Brody playing a Holocaust survivor. I will say that Brody appears as though he has hardly aged over the past quarter century.

The Brutalist is a stark, modern epic which one ought to see once in your lifetime.